Thursday, July 13, 2017

Serviceman Who Lost Leg Carries Woman Across Finish Line—Thanks to Prosthetics Industry

A video getting a ton of coverage shows Army Staff Sergeant Earl Granville from Carbondale, Pa., carrying a woman across the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, 4/18/17. What’s notable is that Granville is fitted with a prosthetic leg. As Fox Sports reports:


Granville, who was on his third deployment to Afghanistan in 2008 when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb, carried his race partner across the finish line.


He has competed in multiple marathons using a hand bike.


On Monday, he completed the Boston Marathon without a bike. He ran the marathon with his prosthetic leg and also proudly carried an American flag.


Kudos to Granville. It takes strong will and determination to lose a limb and still fight back to resume a more normal life. But in all of the coverage I’ve seen, no one mentions the unsung heros of Granville’s accomplishment.


Let me paraphrase from an article I wrote for The Objective Standard in 2013. The article, Koni Dole: Loses a Leg, Shines in Football Anyway, covers a high school football player who lost a leg, but managed to return to lead his team to victory on the field:


Cheers to Earl Granville. His courage and determination is an inspiration.


Cheers also to the scientists, engineers, and businessmen who have advanced the designs and practical applications of prosthetics such that a serviceman who lost a limb in combat can nevertheless shine in a gruelling event like the Boston Marathon.


Reason and determination are beautiful things.


Related Reading:

Koni Dole: Loses a Leg, Shines in Football Anyway

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